Holiday Crush

The Elmwood Stories, Book 3

By: Lane Hayes

Narrated by: Nick J. Russo

The hockey has-been, the barista, and some holiday magic…

Court Cut from the team, fired my agent…now what? This can’t be it for me. Unfortunately, the phone isn’t ringing. My best bet is to head home for the holidays and regroup.

Problem: I don’t know what to do with myself. Helping out at the rink might be my ticket out of here, but nothing is happening fast enough. And then there’s Ivan. No, no, it’s not what you think. We went to school together. We’re acquaintance-friends…nothing more. But you know, I like him. A lot. He’s funny and relentlessly upbeat. I’m a better person when I’m with him—the kind who volunteers to deck the halls and wrap garland on lampposts and—Whoa.

What’s happening here? Ivan I love the holidays! But running the coffee shop on my own during the busiest season of the year is going to be a challenge. And the sudden appearance of my former crush is all kinds of distracting. See, I spent my formative years mooning over Court Henderson, our high school’s hockey phenom, even though he was out of my league. Thankfully, I grew up and left the silly remnants of my youth behind. Or did I? Grown-up Court is full of surprises, and under his gruff yet extremely fine exterior, he’s a good soul with a huge heart. He’s charming, sweet, handsome, and— Uh-oh. My crush is back. Just in time for the holidays…

Holiday Crush is an MM bisexual, small town romance featuring a renewed ancient crush, some mistletoe latte art, and a little seasonal magic.

©2023 Lane Hayes (P)2024 Lane Hayes

I loved this story!

I loved this book when I read it with my eyes; I loved it even more when I listened to the fantastic voice of Nick J. Russo as he performed the audiobook.

Holiday Crush is mostly a slow-burn romance but it is HOT! Ivan inspires Court to be a better person and embrace the holidays. Ivan never thought that he'd get to fulfill his fantasies with his high school crush: Court. When they finally get together the sparks fly!

This book is an excellent addition to The Elmwood Stories and I'm looking forward to reading the next one.

A copy of this audiobook was provided to me at my request and my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author or narrator.

***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***

So cute

Just the perfect holiday romance. Funny, emotional, charming and cute characters. Definitely wanna go back and read the other books! Nick did great as his usual and I loved the world building, the small town fee was definitely in this. I also enjoyed that it had so much actual story it wasn’t all just steamy and they didn’t just fall in love in days. This was months of dates and chats and working together and also them separately. It was packed tight in such a short book!

Loved It

This is a good addition to this great series. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and I enjoyed listening to Nick J Russo's great narration even more.

I received an ARC and this is my unbiased opinion

sweet holiday romp

This was a sweet holiday romp with a little grumpy/sunshine action going on. Not quite a second chance story as the MCs weren’t together before, but they did know each other in high school and reconnected when Court came home after being cut from the team. I’ve not read the other books in the series so I can’t say how this fits into the overall series, but I found it fun and enjoyable. The author tends to write low-angst fun stories. Nick J Russo is a stellar performer and nailed this, as expected.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy provided by GayRomanceReviews.

A bit rushed

This is a solid, sweet, frothy addition to the Elmwood series. Overall, though, Holiday Crush felt a bit rushed and almost unfinished, especially compared to the first two stellar entries in this series. Still, fans of the previous books will find lots to enjoy in this one, including the homey Vermont setting, the smexy scenes, and a healthy dollop of Christmas magic. Just don’t expect too much depth or development in the main characters’ relationship.

Amazing narration by Nick, as usual. One of my favorite narrators!

Fun story with great narration

This story is so fun! I’m impressed with the writing of this story. There is very little pining of the “one who is only in town for a short while.” And the communication between these men are fairly on point. I fully appreciate the very grownup way the storyline and characters behave. Lane Hayes does a great job giving us a fun, steamy, 🫠 story.

Court and Ivan

Court and Ivan’s story is sweet and full of holiday cheer. The emo kid and jock from high school reuniting as adults was a fun combination. Nick J. Russo’s narration is easy to listen to and enjoyable.